Cartridge guide device for repeating firearms



1952 E. w. CHAPIN ETAL CARTRIDGE GUIDE DEVICE FOR REPEATING FIREARMS Filed Dec. 15, 1949 INVENTOR ELL 1s MERE/Y CHAPIN AND Lou/s ELK/l6 BY r W ATTOR EYS -Patented Feb. 12, 1952 CARTRIDGE GUIDE DEVICE FOR REPEATIN G FIREARMS Ellis Warren Chapin, Chicopee Falls, and Louis Elkas, West Springfield, Mass., assignors to Savage Arms Corporation, Utica, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application December 13, 1949, Serial No. 132,762

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a device for guiding cartridges from a box type magazine to the firing chamber of a bolt action repeating rifle.

An object of the invention is to provide a guide device to facilitate the use of a front locking type breech bolt in a small caliber rifle.

Another object is to provide a guide structure permanently fixed between the magazine clip and the firing chamber to direct the nose of a cartridge from the magazine upwardly into the firing chamber as the cartridge is fed forwardly by the bolt.

A further object is to provide a guide device in the receiver to insure a predetermined relative position of the guide to the magazine.

These and other objects will be readily understood from the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the device assembled on a rifle with its magazine clip mounted in position and its receiver shown in section with the action open;

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the bolt moved forwardly to show a cartridge being guided by the device;

Figs. 3 and 4 are partial views showing the relation of parts with he bolt shifted forwardly and in unlocked and locked position respectively; and

Fig. 5 is a view on line 55 of Fig. 1.

Generally. small caliber bolt action repeating rifles are provided with a reciprocable bolt of a rear locking type. It is characteristic of this type of bolt that the rear portion thereof only is rotated in the receiver to lock the action. The

fore portion, which in firing position overlies the magazine clip, remains stationary. Consequently, as is well known to those skilled in the art, the under surface of the fore portion of the bolt is generally slotted longitudinally to receive therein the top edges of a magazine in the forward shifting of the bolt to firing position. In this type of construction a magazine is thus in a relatively high position in the receiver assemhly so that a top cartridge may be substantially in horizontal alignment with the firing chamber of the rifle. A cartridge may therefore befed from the clip and more or less directly inserted into the firing chamber.

In providing a front locking type of bolt in a small caliber rifle the relative position of the magazine in the receiver assembly must be changed. Inasmuch as the bolt is locked by rotation of its fore portion it can not be provided with slots for the top edges of the clip. The

magazine must lie entirely underneath the path of the bolt. The lowered position of a top cartridge in this event is out of a generally horizontal alignment with the firing chamber. The top cartridge fed from the lower position of the clip will not be directed more or less straight forwardly for insertion in the firing chamber and will jam the action of the rifle by lodging its nose on the breechface of the barrel rather than in the firing chamber.

In the drawings a receiver assembly showing a front locking type bolt I is illustrated by Fig. 1 with the action open. An ofiset locking lug 2 at the front of the bolt is rotatable with the bolt through to a locked firing position as in Fig. 4. The extractor 3 of the bolt is shown at the front thereof and it will be noted that the lower corner of the extractor recess & is provided with a beveled nick as at 5 for a purpose to be later described. v

A magazine 6 is held in the usual elongated opening in the lower wall of the receiver and in position below the path of the slidable bolt by complementary spring clip arms as l and 8 at the front and rear respectively of the magazine opening. Arms l and 8 are secured to the underside of the receiver, the rear arm 8 having a finger piece at its lower end for releasing the magazine from the assembly. Arm 8 is provided with ears8' in rear edge keeper slots to hold the magazine latched in position.

A spring pressed follower 9 constantly urges cartridges upwardly toward the top of the magazine for the successive feeding thereof into the firing chamber of the rifle. The firing chamber is spaced forwardly and upwardly in the receiver from the fore end of the magazine opening and is chambered for rotation of the lug 2 to lock the action as will be readily understood. A top cartridge is held in the magazine against the action of the follower 9 by inwardly flanged lips i (l at the upper rear portion of the magazine side walls. As the bolt l is shifted forwardly to close the breech of the rifle, the top cartridge is carried forwardly by the bolt engaging the top of its rim as far as two complementary side wall cutouts l I. Here the action of the follower 9 causes the cartridge to spring upwardly out of the magazine into a cartridge rim recess i2 in the face of the bolt where the rim of the cartridge slides under the hook of extractor 3. Before the advancing cartridge reaches the cutouts ll, however, and while its rim remains held by the flanged lips Ill as shown by Fig. 2, the pressure of the bolt on the uppermost portion of the rim 3 tends to cause the cartridge to nose downwardly, the rim edge on the surface of the next subjacent cartridge serving continually as a pivot point. The spring pressure of the normally upwardly inclined follower is not alone sufficient to resist this downward pivoting-action- To prevent such downward. nosing of a cartridgerand-"to: guide it upwardly for accurate placement of the nose in the firing chamber, the guide device of this in vention is provided in the receiver between the front edge of a magazine in the=assembly-and the firing chamber opening. lhe guiding" operation of the device is shown .by-Fig, 2. Whenthe. cartridge rim is releasedrfrom .cutoutsv H and;

positioned in recess l2 of the:bolt';face,..tlie*nose of the cartridge has been angularly placed in the chamber opening. The bolt can then. be, closed and locked.

Normal position of the guide deviceairrthe;

breech assembly is best seen by Figs. 1 and 2. As. there shown. it'is mounted-onthe horizontal legof the frontspringarm 1.- which: as shown is-bolted to the under side. of the receiver. A narrow slot extending, forwardly from; the magazine opening is. provided:- fol? theupward extension of two eared portions l3 bent upwardly from-the leg to formspaced. supports 'forthe device (Fig. 5 Between-theears, I3. is mounted apix-1.14 and pivotally mounted on thepin are two legs of an inverted U-shaped-rocker member 16.

Theupper surface of. the member serves to provide aslidable bearingrsupport for a-cartridge nosein bridging the gap between the top'of the magazine and the -chamber"opening. 'I'hebearing surface of' the rocker is centrally "depressed as at I? longitudinallyof the cartridge path in thefashiont of-a-chute. or ramp asby deforming the metal thereof.

The lower edges of the legs are rounded at the front and offset at their rear portions, the latter providing stops; against counterclockwise rotation of therocker from-.the position-ofelfligs. 1 and'2cas seen in theidrawingse Therounded portions: permit clockwise rotation I (Figs; 3. and 4) A- stiff'torsionspring I8, isspirally wound on pin. I with one end.- keyed under the cross pieceof the slide and the-otheeon. the horizontal leg of arm Spring l8-thus yieldablyurges thee-rocker tothe upstanding, normaloperative position of Figs. 1 and 2. 7

When a top cartridge: isfedout-ofitheemagazine into-the firing chamber by the, frirwardly shifted-bolt. the nose otthe cartridge is initially inclined upwardly byfollower- 9.- (Fig. 1.) As it. is urged toward the firing'chamben-bearing surface ll of the'rockerreceives. them-nose. to cradle it. in an, upwardly inclined direction thus preventing the. tendency to nose; downwardly. Accurate placement. in-the firing: chamber-opening isthus assured.

It will be noted that? the front or upper. edge of surface I? adjacent the firing chamber'is symmetrically beveled off. toward the chamber as: at l9. (Fig. 1)- so as not. to: impede further movement of the. cartridge into the chamber. When aca-rtridgeis' carried with. its.- rim-in recess 12 ofthe'bolt face-and its "nose in directalignmentwith thefiring chamber, the cartridge guide has performed: its intendedfunction; This will.

be readily seen from the dotted. line position of the'cartridge-as in Fig. 2. As the boltis closed and locked (Figs. .3-and.4 therockeris pivoted 4 longitudinally of the receiver on pin 14 and forwardly to lie below the opening of the firing chamber as shown.

In Fig. 4 the bolt has been rotated to lie 7 with the top lug locked in the receiver as will be readily-understood. It. is, to be noted that clearance is provided for the turning of the extractor arm and hook with the bolt by a chamfered lip section of the firing chamber opening as at 26. When the bolt is locked in the position of Fig; 4-, itwill be appreciated that the extractor arm'recess 2 overlies the rear edge of the bearing surface of the rocker and encloses the latter between.- the side edges of the recess. As seen byFig; 4', the rocker it is pivotally urged against the-bolt-body by its spring Hi. In order to prevent .therear edge of the rocker from catching in the recess i and impeding rotation of the bolt in unlocking the same, the far edge of the rocker bearing face is beveled to bear against the beveled nick 5:01; the slot- This-beveling of, the rocker edge is shown. clearly by Fig. 5 as at2l. Asthe bolt is rotated out of the locked position of 4; the beveled nick 5 and edge portion at 24: bear-against each other-and camthe rocker downwardly to the position of Fig. 3. It is thus cleared from the rotating edges of' slot 4.

What is claimed is:

Ina; bolt action repeating rifle, areceiver having an elongatedopening in the lower wall thereof-to receive a box type magazine in said opening, a firing chamber spaced forwardly and upwardly'from, the front edge ofsaid opening, a bolt of the front locking type reciprocable in the receiver and rotatable over said opening in its-forward position to lock. the bolt in the receiver, said'receiver atthe' front edge' of said opening having a slotextending forwardly from the opening below said firing chamber, a magazine spring clip anchored to said receiver inf-ron-tof' said: slot and extending rearwardly to cover the slot and downwardly at the front edgeof' said opening, a cartridge guide mounted on saidclipprojecting upwardly through said slot with its upper portion adjacent said firing chamber, said guide-comprising a rocker memb er, a pivotal connection betweensaid spring clip and. rocker member and a; rocker spring urging said member to a rearward upright position, said rocker having an inclined upper surfacerfor engaging the nose of'a cartridge urged forwardly by; said' bolt and directing said nose intothe opening of the firing chamber, said rocker being forwardly pivotable by said bolt to a forward position under the' opening of said firing chamber, said bolthaving a-n extractor'slot and anextractor arm at the forward'side edge thereof rotatable against said rocker with said extractor slot having a beveled corneredge for contacttwith said rocker; during rotation of said bolt into and out of locked position.

ELLIS WARREN CHAPIN. LOUIS ELKAS.

' REFERENCES. CITED The following-references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 972,087 Sunngard n Oct. 4, 1910 1,913,255 Von Frommer June 6, 1933 

